Internal-combustion engine.



vUNITED sTATEs PATENT ,oFFicE.

FRED D. CALKINS AND ALFRED C. JOHNSON, F SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 8, 1912. Serial No. 695,848.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that we, FRED D. CALKINS and ALFRED C. JoHNs0N,.citizens of Sunnyvale, in the county of Santa' Clara and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification. U

This invention is an improvement in 1nternal combustion engines, and has for its object, the provision of simple, inexpensive means for controlling the admission and exhaust of the motive Huid, wherein a continuously rotating valve having a large bearing surface is provided, separated from the explosion chamber, and arranged to au- `tomatically compensate for wear.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a front elevation; F ig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a front view of the upper part of the engine with the outer bearing section and the valve removed; and., Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the valve.

In the present embodiment of the invention, the cylinder 1 is jacketed at its outer or upper end as shown at 2, and is connected at its lower end to the' crank case 4. A crank shaft 7 is journaled in bearings 8 in the crank case, and is extended at both ends beyond the case. The shaft is provided with a pulley 10 at one of the extended ends, and at the other with a sprocket wheel 11, connected by a chain 12, with a sprocket .wheel 3, on the valve to be described.'

The cylinder is extended at its outer or upper end to form an explosion chamber 5, and a spark plug 6 of ordinary form is threaded into an opening in the said chamber. A piston 18 is slidable in the cylinder, and the piston is provided with the usual packing rings 14 and is connected to vthe crank 9 of the crank shaft by a piston rod 15. l

The rod engages a transverse pin 19 on the piston, and has a -sectional bearing 20 at the Vother end for engaging the crank. The

cylinder is extended at one side of the ex v plosion chamber, as shown at 21, to form a casing having a pair of parallel cylindrical passages, for receiving cylindrical shells 22 and 22, each of which is 'slidable in the passage, and is provided with external an-4 nular grooves for receiving packing rings 23, to make a tight joint between the shell and the passage.

The outer end of each shell is rectangularA in outline and is ianged laterally at the top and bottom as shown at 24, each flange forming an annular stop at the outer end of the shell, and springs 25 are arranged between each of the said stops and an annular shoulder 26 at the outer end of the passage, said shoulders being formed by enlarging the passage annularly.

The outer ends of the shells 22-22a and the outer endof the extension in which the passages are formed are concave transversely, to form one section of a cylindrical valve chamber or bearing, for a cylindrical valve 27, which fits in the said bearing or chamber, and rotate's on the face' thereof. The outer section 28 of the chamber or bearing is secured to the extension by cap screws 29, and the inner face of the section is concave transversely to coperate with the inner section to form a cylindrical chamber. The said valve 27 is extended beyond the chamber at one end, as shown at 30, and the said end is provided with the sprocket wheel 3, for 'engagement by the chain 12 to rotate the valve. The outer end of each shell 22f-22a is partially closed to form a port 32 and 32a respectively, and the outer section 28 of the chamber or bearing has ports 33 and 33a, inv alinement with the respective ports 32 and 32a. The valve 27 is provided with a transverse diametric passage near each end, one of which, 34, is adapted to connect ports 32 and 33, while the other 34 is adapted to connect ports 32a and 33a. Each passage will connect the two ports twice during each rotation of the mechanism. The springs 25 force the shells toward the valve, and insures auid tight joint, whatever the position of the valve.

. The valve being cylindrical, and being practically all bearing surface will wear equally and uniformly, so that no grinding of the valve on its seat will ever be required. The springs 25 will also automatically compensate for wear. The valve is also separated to a considerable degree from the products of combustion.

lIn operation, the valve is rotated continu- Patented Oct. 12,1915.

. in a new charge.

ously from the crank shaft, and twice during each rotation, ports 32 and`33 and ports 32a andl33a will be connected by passages 3i and 3l, to permit the escape ofY` exhaust products, and to permit the piston to draw The ports 32 and 3 3 are first connected to exhaust the waste products and then the ports 32a and 33a to admit a new charge. Th-e charge is drawn in as the piston moves downwardly, and on the returnstroke the charge is compressed and is ignited as the piston begins its forward stroke. The piston is driven forward by the expanding gases, and on its return stroke again drives out the exhaust products. The valve cannot become heated easily, on account of its distance from the explosion, and cannot bind, on account of the springs 25. The passages 34 and 34a are arranged at the proper angle with respect to each other to admit the charge and let out the exhaust at the proper time for the best results, and the connection between the crank shaft and the valve is arranged to'rotate the valve at the proper relative speed. It will be noted that the outer ends of' the ports 33 and 33a are not at the same level. The port 33L inclines upwardly ro'm its inner end to its outer end, as will be evident from an inspection of Fig. 1. y

We claim:

l. An engine of the character specified,

comprising a'cylinder provided at one end with an explosion chamber having a lateral 'and the valve having ports for connecting the first-named ports, and springs pressing the shells toward the outer section to compensate for wear and to prevent leakage when the ports are in register.

2. An engine of the character specified, comprising a cylinder having at one end an explosion chamber, said chamber having a, lateral extension provided withI passages at approximately a right angle to the axis of the cylinder, an outer valve chamber section secured to the extension avalve in the chamber, a shell in each passage, the outer ends of the shells being shaped to lit the valves, and yielding means for pressing the shells toward the valve to prevent leakage between the valve and the chamber and to compensate for lwear. y

FRED D. CALKINS. ALFRED C. JOHNSON. Witnesses:

EUGENE F. MORRIS, D. W. BURNETT. 

